Buzz Marketing with Blogs: Deliciously Fake

Deliciously Fake

Thanks to Hugh at Gaping Void, I’ve discovered Delicious Destinations, the blog of GourmetStation, latest entry in the fake blog field. GourmetStation is a provider of upscale prepared cuisine, the kind of thing that makes sure you have the kind of food on the table that takes all day to make despite the fact that you work 14-hour days.

Delicious Destinations is written by T. Alexander, “a fictitious character created by GourmetStation, it’s creative partner, Blue Marble Media, and marketing partner, Bloomberg Marketing. T. A. is our icon, who through reflections about food, customs and travel, adds a bit of spice to our website and newsletters.”

The blog is written in first person. On March 27, T. Alexander blogged about a brunch thrown by his neighbor Clarissa. On April 1 the topic was garlic. Innocuous stuff, supported by a pretty generic design.

I’m interested to see where GourmetStation takes the blog, and how successful it will be in supporting their business. I’ve said before that I’m not fundamentally opposed to fake blogs, as long as the intention is to be creative—and as long as the intention isn’t to trick readers. But in the case of GourmetStation, I’m curious: Why is a fictitious blog author necessary? T. Alexander isn’t a potholder or a cow. He’s positioned as being a knowledgable foodie—is there really no such person at GourmetStation who could be a more authentic voice sending the same kinds of messages?

As the thinking about fake blogs evolves, my expectation is that appropriate use will revolve around humor and perhaps the ridiculous. Take, for example, the Jack character of Jack in the Box. A blog written by Jack could be entertaining, and of course everyone realizes that a man with a head made of a very large ping-pong ball isn’t meant to be real or taken seriously. But the character of T. Alexander just appears to be a fake person, and though it’s hard to tell in the four posts to be found on the site right now, he doesn’t seem to be exaggerated, ironic, a parody or a stereotype. He seems less a character than just… well… fake.

UPDATE: Found some more discussion of the Delicious Destinations blog from Paul Chaney, Tris Hussey and BLOGthenticity .

Posted by Susannah Gardner on 04/04 at 02:12 PM • Blogs -- Fake Blogs

Comments

Yeah Toby created a stir with this one. Unfortunately the commentary wasn’t too respectfull. Paul and I jumped into the fray with both feet on this one.
Mine: http://blog.larixconsulting.com/blog/_archives/2005/4/1/541038.html
Paul’s: http://radiantmarketing.typepad.com/radiant_marketing/2005/04/in_defense_of_a.html

So, my feeling is that T. Alexander just hasn’t written enough to get a good feeling for him. I think he’s going to be a sterotypical foodie. At least, that’s what I’m hoping for!

Posted by Tris Hussey on 04/04 at 04:15 PM
Susie -

Appreciated your feedback and suggestions. You’ve given us food for thought (ouch!sorry).

T. Alexander has been a component of the company’s branding strategy for awhile. The project is in infancy and time will tell how it plays into our brand building strategies.

Thanks for your thoughtful comments.

Posted by Toby on 04/04 at 04:47 PM
It’s a fictitious blog. The character’s fake. The events are fake. The knowledge imparted isn’t.

I’ve done a few of these in the past. They’re fundamentally different from “fake” blogs, because they still have all the key aspects of blogging: passion, authenticity, voice and authority.

Posted by Jeremy C. Wright on 04/04 at 05:12 PM
In a phone convo with Toby earlier today she used the term “character” blogs as a moniker for what could become a new class of blogs.

Toby is a real trooper for taking all the criticism she’s received on this issue, some of it well-reasoned and thoughtful (like yours Susie), and some of it crap! There are lessons to be learned in this that will benefit all of us (or each of us...whichever).

Posted by Paul Chaney on 04/04 at 05:54 PM
Thanks Paul! In keeping with the blog mantra - it was Tris Hussey’s idea to term this type of blog “character blog.”

Goes without saying that I agree with Jeremy’s comments adding honesty and transparency.

Now, let’s move forward and see where those lessons learned take us.

Posted by Toby on 04/04 at 06:04 PM
toby et al, i see what you mean by a fictitious character used to deliver valid information. i do think there is room for this kind of thing, and that it has value. sounds like the trick is a matter of working out wording and detail in presentation. thanks for pushing the blog envelope!

Posted by Susannah Gardner on 04/04 at 06:48 PM
Jeremy! You get it! Awesome!

Posted by Tris Hussey on 04/04 at 06:49 PM
The successful and widely-read blog written by the fake person! It is indeed the preposterous idea!

Posted by Manolo on 04/05 at 05:51 AM